The Parent Enrichment Committee of the PTA Alliance sponsored a series of five parent education programs on the Tablet PC and their safe use. Several parents and the Information System staff of Cary Academy planned what we hope was a relevant and informative set of topics.

• The Tablet PC at Home - Sam Morris

How the Tablet PC can be managed at home. How can you get the best use of this tool when your children are away from school? In this session, we will discuss strategies for integrating this technology into your home computing environment including 1) backups, 2) email and 3) networking.

• Safety & Security, Part I  - Jim Duncan

You probably know your own physical neighborhood fairly well, but do you have any idea of the activities that happen in your on-line community every day? Perhaps because the Information Age is so new, many of us are unaware of the hazards on "The Net." But just as we show our children how to protect themselves in the physical sense, we need to show them how to do the same in the on-line world. This presentation and the February 20th presentation will outline cyberspace threats, describe dangerous behaviors, and suggest ways to avoid them.

• Software & Websites - Mark Easley

Websites and Software Downloads: The good, the bad, and the ugly. The school can monitor the web sites your children visit and the software they download but how about at home? What kind of guidelines and restrictions should you consider, and what sort of software tools can help? We will discuss the most popular website and software categories children download and suggest ones they should stay away from. Then we will go through a real-life example, using cybersitter software to set restrictions and monitor usage on a tablet PC.

• Safety & Security, Part II - Jim Duncan

This session is a continuation of the February 6th presentation and will build on the issues you need to know about protecting your children from on-line hazards and how to minimize the risk.

• Panel Discussion on Summary Topics - All Presenters

While a tablet PC is a great educational tool, it can also be a distraction ranging from wasting too much time on games and chat, to inadvertent problems like spam and spyware, to even dangerous situations online. In this session, we will discuss questions and concerns that have been raised by parents in the prior four sessions.

03/30/2007